The present invention relates to an electromagnetic rail accelerator arrangement wherein a plurality of plasma arc cushions are generated between the accelerator rails for the acceleration of projectiles and to the use of such rail accelerators to accelerate multiple projectile arrangements and projectiles including at least two successive propelling cage sabot segments separated by intermediate members.
Electromagnetic rail accelerator arrangements of the above-mentioned type for accelerating projectiles by means of a plurality of plasma arc cushions are disclosed, for example, and in Applicant's above-identified corresponding United States Patent Applications, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such rail accelerators are composed, in principle, of an acceleration member which, in the simplest case, is provided in the form of two parallel acceleration rails. These rails are traversed by current and simultaneously take over the lateral guidance of the projectile. When the current is switched on, the current flows along one rail, through the plasma armature disposed between the two rails, and back through the other rail. The magnetic fields thus produced between the rails, together with the current flowing through the plasma armature, produce a Lorentz force which accelerates the armature, and the projectile connected with the armature, out of the launching device. To realize the most uniform force transmission possible, the projectile is composed of at least two partial projectiles arranged one behind the other and separated by intermediate members so that a plasma armature forms at the rear or tail end of each of the partial projectiles.
A particular drawback of this prior rail accelerator is that all of the current required to generate the Lorentz force must be conducted over the two parallel rails. This causes currents of different intensities to flow through the individual plasma armatures. Moreover, these rails are subject to relatively great wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,523, issued Nov. 6th, 1984 discloses a tubular rail accelerator in which the rails are arranged in the form of a cylinder. However, these accelerators have the drawback that the current flows through the same rails, independently of the number of armatures, so that here again relatively great wear results in these arrangements.